Hey my fellow Steemians,
It's been radio silence on my end for about a week now.
On the 4th of July, I was attacked and mugged by 3 men dressed in military uniforms on the east side of town.
My good friend @AdamTilsley shared a glimpse of my story earlier, trying to raise support for my cause.
PLEASE DONATE TO MY CAUSE HERE SO I CAN RECOVER MY PASSPORT AND LEAVE THAILAND ASAP:
https://www.youcaring.com/benjaminschwartz-872547
I was heading to the local Starbucks to grab some internet and hang out for a bit. I got out of my "Grab" (similar to Uber for Asia) and was immediately grabbed by 3 men dressed in military uniforms.
All I recall was being dragged over to their makeshift checkpoint tent (Thailand is under Military control currently, so the military/police have a heavy presence around most parts).
I was hit in the head and blacked out.
Next thing I remember, I regained consciousness when it was dark out - not sure if it was later in the evening or very early in the morning. I was laying down on the ground inside their gated "checkpoint" area on the sidewalk.
One of the men saw me move, grabbed me, and all I remember was being struck on the right side of my head and blacking out again.
When I regained consciousness, it was around 1PM on JULY 5th - 22 hours AFTER I ARRIVED on that side of town.
I had been dragged about 100 feet away from the military tent over to the "wall", aka Tae Phae Gate - to make it look like I was just a homeless bum without a place to sleep (I have a condo in Thailand, or rather, "had").
I tried to stand up, and when I did my left ankle twisted and I instantly fell. I tried to stand again and realized that I couldn't put pressure on either legs - they had beaten the absolute shit out of my legs. With what, i'm not sure...
I tried to find my phone - gone. Looked for my cash - gone. Debit cards - only 1 remained - the 1 had hid. My passport was still in my wallet.
I had taken cash out to pay for my rent, and for my skydive/action cam, and it was all gone.
I also had transferred $1400 to my bank the day before, and I would later come to find out that my bank only had $198 left in it after 2 "mysterious" adjustments were made, for which my bank is still scratching their heads over. I've called and they can't figure it out nor will they refund me.
I was taken to Chiang Mai Ram hospital, where for 5 hours I was ignored, not fed, not given water, and only finally given a painkiller after literally begging for 5 hours. I could not stand or walk on my own - I couldn't even lay in bed without so much pain.
It felt like they had kick me right in the thighs/ass cheeks with steel toe boots as hard as they could, and I had a big old contusion on the right side of my head.
https://www.youcaring.com/benjaminschwartz-872547
Fast forward to when they tell me how much they want to charge in cash per night - over $700USD - I don't have travel insurance (a mistake I'll never make again) so I immediately told them to transfer me to another hospital.
I told them that I was mugged and that I could not afford to pay for their medical services on the spot - so they decided to call Tourist police on me. I was not given an option of being taken to a different hospital - I didn't realize there was Chiang Mai Ram, a private, for profit hospital, and the government hospital, Maharaj Nakorn.
They called the cops and I was basically told that if I didn't pay, I would be arrested. I finally got them to agree to hold my passport in exchange to transport me to the other hospital that would actually treat me - I still had not been fed, given water, treatement, anything, for hours since arriving.
So now they're holding my passport ransom. They want 21000 baht approximately (a little over $600 as of today's exchange rate) - I spent 5 days at the government hospital, with full care, medicine, inpatient services, X-rays, CT-scan, meals, etc - for a grand total of 21000 baht also.
They also did not force me to pay on the spot - I have to return in 2 days, but they allowed me to leave after I called the embassy.
I called the embassy to see what they could do about the passport situation, and all they told me to do was take out a loan or borrow money from family.
I have about 18 days or so left on my stamp left in Thailand if I'm not mistaken. My original plan was to go Skydiving in 2 days (which is now completely shot - I can't even properly walk, and am completely broke thanks to being mugged).
I also don't have my passport thanks to Chiang Mai Ram holding it for ransom, and using the tourist police as their enforcers - they required me to register my address (and yes, they have my real address on file here in Thailand, when you sign a lease your landlord has to register with the ministry).
So I humbly come to the community asking for any help that you might be able to spare. The more I am able to raise, the greater chance I have of negotiating down the price. I have a few days to raise the funds.
Steem won't help me much here - so if you want to upvote here and donate on the donation page I set up through YouCaring.com, I will send you the SBD I receive once it's paid out in return - I just don't know what else to do at this point.
People have suggested just saying I "lost my passport" and pulling scams like that - but I'm trying to live an honest life. And I believe by doing this, I set a personal precedent for myself to continue to do the right thing, no matter how hard it may be.
This is a direct copy and paste from my "YouCaring.com" posting:
"I was attacked by 3 Thai "military members" (I'm not sure if they were actually a part of the Thai military or simply dressed in Thai military uniforms.
They had a military checkpoint set up at Tae Phae gate (it's the eastern gate of Old Town in Chiang Mai, Thailand).
I was knocked unconscious for several hours and dragged to their checkpoint they had set up.
When I regained consciousness, it was dark out. One of the "military members" noticed and grabbed me - I was struck in the head and knocked unconscious again.
After waking up the 2nd time, It was around 1PM on July 5, 2017. Almost 22 hours after arriving at my destination. (I arrived around 3:30PM on July 4th)
They stole my rent money, the money I had taken out for skydiving (something I had been dreaming of and planning for almost 2 years now).
When I woke up, I was dazed, in a lot of pain, and completely confused. I tried to stand up and immediately fell and twisted my ankle - I could not stand at all.
My phone was also stolen, along with a pretty expensive pair of sunglasses.
I was admitted to Chiang Mai Ram hospital. I could not stand up or walk as I was in so much pain.
For 5 hours, I begged for food and water, as I had not eaten in nearly 30 hours at that point. I was ignored repeatedly. I was also in severe pain and only received 1 shot of morphine after 5 hours.
I was also mocked, flicked off, called a bi**h, and laughed at by several nurses and even the charge nurse at Chiang Mai Ram hospital.
They failed to tell me that it was a private hospital - they charged my nearly 21,000 baht (a little over $600) for a 5 hour stay - when they told me how much it would be per night, I immediately told them to discharge me and send me elsewhere - I did not have traveler's insurance and I could not afford such an amount.
They called Tourist police. I explained the situation and was told: pay, be arrested and taken to the station, or hand over my passport as "collateral" and given a few days to pay, also being forced to provide my address of residence so that at any time they could come to arrest me if I did not pay.
I was transferred to the local government hospital, and given adequate care - for a 5 day stay with full treatment (I was charged a total of roughly 21,000 baht. Also a little over $600 as of today's exchange rate.
However, I still need to raise a total of 42,000 baht - my passport is being held illegally - and If I am stopped by a police officer for any reason, if I do not have my passport on me, I can be arrested immediately
While at the hospital, I was diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis - a condition in which damaged skeletal muscle breaks down rapidly. This was from being beaten so badly that I could not walk for 5 days.
I am now able to walk, but my feet are about 75% numb - I can barely feel them when I walk.
Please, if you could help me out by sparing anything so that I can get my passport back and pay off these medical bills, I would be forever grateful - I just want to get my passport back and leave Thailand immediately. Anything extra will support my travel out of Thailand. (plane, bus ticket, food, etc)."
Please, consider donating anything - even a few dollars could help me towards getting my passport back.
I intend on getting the HELL out of Thailand once I get my passport back and pay off my medical debt.
Thank you community - I also have to give up my apartment tomorrow to try and get back some of my deposit so that I can use that towards paying for my medical bills. I'll be back to living out of hostels for the time being...
https://www.youcaring.com/benjaminschwartz-872547
Much love,
-Ben, aka Panda
Sources: CM Ram Hospital, Tha Phae Gate